A Reluctant God kept me engaged and interested. I really like the writing style. It's conversational and intelligent, with a bit of wry humor. Duff does a very good job with dialogue. I can think of a couple of writers who I couldn't read because their dialogue made me cringe. So I pay attention to it and I think he does it quite well.

I recognized some features from other science fiction books and it did not bother me. The worm from Frank Herbert's Dune. The mated energy beings who occupy humans in order to re-connect, from an episode of Star Trek Next Generation. A few other features. But this treatment was novel enough not to distract me from it. I have no idea if the science discussion was valid, but absolutely did not care. LOVED the use of Feynman as such an important character.

I ultimately found answers I had in the historian and Mencken pieces at the back of the book, such as discussions about the destruction and resurrection of the human race, how the AIs assumed so many of the subsistence functions, and the origin of the Dream Game. I recommend reading all the supplements at the back of the book before diving into the narrative.

All in all, a fast paced, thoughtful and engaging read. Recommend it highly.

Good characters, lots of science/tech/stuff way beyond my understanding, a unique blend of historical and literary references, and a lot of action. Even though I'm not generally a fan of hard sci fi or galaxy-wide warfare, this first novel was so creative, different and interesting -- and the hero so engaging -- that I highly recommend it. If you like mind-bending tech I think you'll love it!

I have been reading Science Fiction for over 40 years. I was a huge fan of Saberhagan's Berserker series, The Dune series, Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead, Asimov's Foundation and Trilogy, pretty much everything Roger Zelazny ever wrote, and newer authors like William Gibson of Neuromancer fame. I loved virtually all of Gibson's work. Its hard to describe to encompass the depth of thought in this book in a short review but what I'll say is that it integrates the best of modern CyberPunk with the scale of books like the Berserker series and Ring World and incorporates a lot of hard science, epic political and sociological extensions.

Above all this book moves fast, has plenty of action, erotic romance, epic battles and a vast and deep study of some of the brightest and most compelling minds of the 20th century who take on roles as truly sentient artificial personalities as the reluctant God evolves in his interaction with them and massive quantum computers in with which he interfaces fully and symbiotically with in his epic struggle to overcome the ultimate nemesis. The book is a pager turner and frankly, I haven't slept the last 2 nights. If there is one more science fiction book you decide to read, read this one. I expect that any real connoisseur of modern Science Fiction will want to read this book at least twice.

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About Me

[Check out Seniorjunior.blogspot.com, too]
Scooter Duff's bio can be expressed alphabetically.
KFYN, USAFA, KSET, WAKY, KDSX, WPRO, KLAC,
KMET, WHDH, KSAN, KSDO (23 Years), ERA,
AR&D, ASIE, MAI, (33 Years)
A sci-fi reader since childhood, Duff’s mind was warped
by the radio series Dimension X (x,x,x), So sci-fi and radio
evolved into media consulting, explaining several
aspects of Scooter's approach.
He lives with his psychologist wife Dorothy, four Airedale
Terriers, three cats and a herd of birds on twenty acres
in the Land of Enchantment. Predictable.